There is no shortage of international recommendations, action plans, and other prescriptions for restoring the oceans’ health. The problem is not ignorance but political will. Yet the longer governments and societies delay action, the worse things will get. Here are some things they can start doing now.

We have come to appreciate that our rapidly increasing technological sophistication -- which has brought such benefits as safe and convenient air travel -- carries with it potential costs. It gives us greater ability to destroy, of course. But, it can also lead to the creation of vulnerable, tightly-connected, and inadequately resilient systems. And in those systems, individuals and organizations are often the weakest links -- as the recent Malaysia Airlines disaster makes clear.

As the United States redefines its role in the Middle East, regional powers will feel pressure to exercise restraint and cooperate with each other. And that is exactly what the UAE is doing by potentially striking a deal with Iran over the disputed islands of Abu Musa and Greater and Lesser Tunbs.

China’s recent announcement of an Air Defense Identification Zone in the East China Sea has generated a great deal of alarm. Much of that is a function of the fact that few know what an ADIZ is, what it is for, and why it matters -- including, apparently, the Chinese government and military.

Over the last several decades, human activities have so altered the basic chemistry of the seas that they are now experiencing evolution in reverse: a return to the barren primeval waters of hundreds of millions of years ago.

So far, public debate about the intervention in Syria has centered on the immediate scope and aims of any U.S.-led military operation, and whether the U.S. Congress should be involved. But no matter how the possible intervention and its aftermath play out, one thing is certain: the eastern Mediterranean -- where exploratory drilling has unearthed vast reserves of natural gas, and where competition between Cyprus, Egypt, Israel, Lebanon, Syria, and Turkey is already fierce -- will become less stable.

Until recently, Asian countries' competing claims in the seas around China did not cause outright conflict. But now that drilling technology can tap gas and oil beds there, Asia capitals are stepping up their games.

Recently, a group of 34 legislators promised to vote against the UN Convention on the Law of The Seas, ensuring that the bill will not be ratified. Their move will make it harder for the United States to continue to build up a rules-based order in the South China Sea. It could also spell the end of treaties as a tool of U.S. national security policy.

A new U.S. emphasis on African maritime development -- dedicated not only to rooting out piracy but also renovating ports and investing in job creation -- could improve African security and economic growth.